they are apt to die of drought. The seedlings are very sensitive to drought ; 

 they are also somewhat sensitive to frost, though they have good power of 

 recovery if killed back. 



SiLVicuLTURAL CHARACTERS. Little is kiiown of the silvicultural characters 

 of this tree. It may be classed as a moderate light-demander ; that it is able 

 to stand some shade is evident from the fact that it sometimes grows up in 

 teak plantations in Burma and makes its way through the teak. 



Natural reproduction. Germination starts early in the rainy season, 

 and in warm sunny places is completed early. Under shade germination may 

 continue throughout the rains and on till October or November, while some 

 of the seed may lie dormant through the ensuing dry season, and may germ- 

 inate in the second rainy season. The most favourable conditions for natural 

 reproduction appear to be loose soil, in which the seed becomes covered dm-ing 

 the early showers, and a fair degree of moisture. A moderate growth of grass 

 and weeds is not harmful, though it may hinder the development of the seed- 

 lings to some extent ; in dry localities it is even useful in protecting them 

 from drought. 



Artificial reproduction. Experiments at Dehra Dun have shown 

 that direct sowing is more successful than transplanting, and regular weeding 

 from the commencement stimulates growth ; in this respect line sowings give 

 the best promise of success. 



Transplanting can be carried out without much difficulty in the rains. 

 The seed should be sown in the nursery about March or April in drills 9 in. 

 apart, the beds being well watered and weeded thi'ough the dry season. The 

 seedlings should be planted out during the rainy season ; they can be trans- 

 planted successfully after pruning down the stem to near ground-level and 

 cutting the root doAvn to a length of about 9 in. If unpruned plants are 

 used they should be small, otherwise the taproot gives trouble. 



Rate op growth. The growth is very rapid. In teak plantations in 

 Burma the tree grows quickly through the fast growing teak and has to be 

 cut out periodically in thinnings. Two cross-sections in the silvicultural 

 museum at Dehra Dun, from trees in the United Provinces, showed the follow- 

 ing rates of growth : 



(1) Age 28 years : girth 4 ft. 11 in. : mean annual girth increment 2-1 in. 



(2) Age 43 years : girth 4 ft. 6 in. : mean annual girth increment 1-25 in. 



Gamble's specimens gave three to four rings per inch of radius, or a mean 

 annual girth increment of 1-57 to 21 in. He also quotes the following measure- 

 ments : ^ ' Roxburgh says that a tree he planted in the Botanic Garden at 

 Calcutta measured 48-5 in. in girth at 4 ft. above ground when 7 years old; 

 this would give a rate of growth of slightly less than 1 ring per inch of radius. 

 Stewart, in " Punjab Plants '\ p. 56, says that a tree in the Saharanpm* Gardens 

 was 7 ft. in girth at about 17 years of age, which gives rather over 1 ring 

 per inch of radius. ... A round in the Bengal Forest Museum from a young 

 tree shows 11 rings on a mean radius of 6 in., or 1-8 rings per inch of radius.' 



3. Albizzia procera, Benth. Syn. Mimosa elata, Roxb. White siris. 

 Vern. Safed siris, gurar, Hind. ; Koroi, Beng., Ass. ; Bellati, Kan. ; Kinlmi, 

 Mar. ; Konda vagai, Tarn. ; Chigara, Tel. ; Sit, Burm. 



1 Man. Ind. Timb. (1902). j). .307. 



i 



